# softball
## English
### Etymology

1926: soft +‎ ball. Compare hardball.

### Pronunciation

* Audio (US):(file)

### Noun

softball (countable and uncountable, plural softballs)
* (sports) A game similar to baseball but played with a larger and softer ball which can be thrown overhand or underhand.
** 1996, Andrew Heller, Come Heller High Water, →ISBN, page 55:This will give you someone with whom you can trade softball complaints, which any veteran game-goer will tell you is the key to a good time.
* (sports) The ball used to play the sport.
* (by analogy) A question designed to be easy to answer.
** 2004 October 9, James Bennett, “In a Disguised Gym, Softballs and Political Drama”, in The New York Times‎:Each man got his share of softballs on Friday night. But for 90 minutes in a dressed-up basketball arena at Washington University, the two candidates were also forced to address the kind of questions they get rarely if ever on the campaign trail: from voters who doubted them and maybe did not even like them very much.

#### Synonyms

* diamond ball
* indoor baseball
* kittenball
* mush ball
* playground ball
* pumpkin ball
* town ball

#### Hypernyms

* ball
* sport

#### Coordinate terms

* baseball
* cricket
* hardball
* rounders
* town ball
* towne ball

#### Descendants

* → Finnish: softball
* French: → softball, → balle molle (calque)
* → Portuguese: softball
* → Spanish: softball

#### Translations
## Finnish
### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English softball.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈsoftboːl/, [ˈs̠o̞f.t̪bo̞ːl]
* Rhymes: -oftboːl
* Hyphenation: soft‧ball

### Noun

softball
* softball

#### Declension

Possessive forms of softball (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation) :
first-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
softballini
softballini
accusative
nom.
softballini
softballini
gen.
softballini
genitive
softballini
softballieni
partitive
softballiani
softballejani
inessive
softballissani
softballeissani
elative
softballistani
softballeistani
illative
softballiini
softballeihini
adessive
softballillani
softballeillani
ablative
softballiltani
softballeiltani
allative
softballilleni
softballeilleni
essive
softballinani
softballeinani
translative
softballikseni
softballeikseni
abessive
softballittani
softballeittani
instructive
comitative
—softballeineni
second-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
softballisi
softballisi
accusative
nom.
softballisi
softballisi
gen.
softballisi
genitive
softballisi
softballiesi
partitive
softballiasi
softballejasi
inessive
softballissasi
softballeissasi
elative
softballistasi
softballeistasi
illative
softballiisi
softballeihisi
adessive
softballillasi
softballeillasi
ablative
softballiltasi
softballeiltasi
allative
softballillesi
softballeillesi
essive
softballinasi
softballeinasi
translative
softballiksesi
softballeiksesi
abessive
softballittasi
softballeittasi
instructive
comitative
—softballeinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
softballimme
softballimme
accusative
nom.
softballimme
softballimme
gen.
softballimme
genitive
softballimme
softballiemme
partitive
softballiamme
softballejamme
inessive
softballissamme
softballeissamme
elative
softballistamme
softballeistamme
illative
softballiimme
softballeihimme
adessive
softballillamme
softballeillamme
ablative
softballiltamme
softballeiltamme
allative
softballillemme
softballeillemme
essive
softballinamme
softballeinamme
translative
softballiksemme
softballeiksemme
abessive
softballittamme
softballeittamme
instructive
comitative
—softballeinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
softballinne
softballinne
accusative
nom.
softballinne
softballinne
gen.
softballinne
genitive
softballinne
softballienne
partitive
softballianne
softballejanne
inessive
softballissanne
softballeissanne
elative
softballistanne
softballeistanne
illative
softballiinne
softballeihinne
adessive
softballillanne
softballeillanne
ablative
softballiltanne
softballeiltanne
allative
softballillenne
softballeillenne
essive
softballinanne
softballeinanne
translative
softballiksenne
softballeiksenne
abessive
softballittanne
softballeittanne
instructive
comitative
—softballeinenne
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
softballinsa
softballinsa
accusative
nom.
softballinsa
softballinsa
gen.
softballinsa
genitive
softballinsa
softballiensa
partitive
softballiaan softballiansa
softballejaan softballejansa
inessive
softballissaan softballissansa
softballeissaan softballeissansa
elative
softballistaan softballistansa
softballeistaan softballeistansa
illative
softballiinsa
softballeihinsa
adessive
softballillaan softballillansa
softballeillaan softballeillansa
ablative
softballiltaan softballiltansa
softballeiltaan softballeiltansa
allative
softballilleen softballillensa
softballeilleen softballeillensa
essive
softballinaan softballinansa
softballeinaan softballeinansa
translative
softballikseen softballiksensa
softballeikseen softballeiksensa
abessive
softballittaan softballittansa
softballeittaan softballeittansa
instructive
comitative
—softballeineen softballeinensa :

## French
### Alternative forms

* soft-ball, soft ball

### Etymology

Borrowed from English softball.

### Noun

softball m (countable and uncountable, plural softballs)
* (sports) softball (“sport”): a variant of baseball
* (sports) softball (“ball”): a ball used in the sport of softball

#### Synonyms

* balle de molle f
* balle molle f
* balle de balle de molle f
* balle de balle-molle f
* balle de soft-ball f

#### Hypernyms

* sport
* balle

## Polish
### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English softball.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈsɔvd.bɔl/
* Rhymes: -ɔvdbɔl
* Syllabification: soft‧ball

### Noun

softball m inan (related adjective softballowy)
* softball (game similar to baseball but played with a larger and softer ball which can be thrown overhand or underhand)

#### Derived terms

* softballista
* softballistka

### Further reading

* softball in Polish dictionaries at PWN

## Portuguese
### Alternative forms

* softbol

### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English softball.

### Noun

softball m (uncountable)
* softball (a sport similar to baseball)

## Spanish
### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English softball.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈsofdbol/ [ˈsovð̞.β̞ol], /ˈsofbol/ [ˈsov.β̞ol]
* Rhymes: -ofdbol, -ofbol

### Noun

softball m (uncountable)
* softball

#### Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.